Kanfit increases composite material yield with Plataine AI, IIoT-based optimization solutions

Kanfit (Nof HaGalil, Israel), a manufacturer of parts and assemblies for aerospace, medical devices and other industries that deliver ready-to-fly assemblies and products made of composites and advanced metals, reveals how it benefits from Plataine’s (Waltham, Mass., U.S.) AI and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)-based optimization solution by automating and streamlining its raw material tracking, management and planning, resulting in significant reduction in waste and production delays.

Kanfit says it strives to adopt the latest manufacturing technologies and remains at the forefront of innovation. As part of its program to maximize its manufacturing capabilities, Kanfit set out to reduce its buy-to-fly ratio and material waste, while reducing overhead and errors driven by manual management of time-sensitive materials. Kanfit managed to address these challenges with Plataine’s optimization solution, due to its strong experience in implementing Industry 4.0 solutions in the aerospace industry.

Plataine’s time-sensitive material management (TSMM) solution is said to prevent use of expired material or material likely to expire by the time the work order is completed. With TSMM, material information is automatically collected from factory sensors and logged throughout the entire manufacturing process, eliminating manual reporting and paperwork. TSMM helps operators manage the receiving process automatically, easily track the location and the condition of materials as well as their remaining shelf-life across various production areas. According to Kanfit, the digitized and automated solution contributes to factory-wide benefits, improving overall efficiency, minimizing rework and waste, increasing material yield and ensuring compliance with audits.

Learn more about Plataine’s digitalization solutions: “Composites supply chain and production disruptions – how can AI and digitalization help?”

“Plataine saves valuable time and reduces quality risks by automating routine procedures,” Shachar Fine, EVP business development at Kanfit, emphasizes. “With the Plataine’s solution at hand, we have managed to significantly increase our buy-to-fly ratio and improve our overall equipment efficiency.”

Plataine’s AI software solutions optimize and automate Kanfit’s composite production processes. The solution for cutting and kitting is seamlessly integrated with Kanfit’s existing enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, enabling it to automatically create holistic and optimal production plans. It considers the complexity of kitting to find the optimal balance between material use and easy kitting, Kanfit notes, enabling the company to maximize material use up to 3% and reduce costs. Dynamic and smart cut plans combine work orders, save material and reduce the overall number of cut plans, easing demand on CNC machinery, which increases capacity. 

“We are proud to be Kanfit’s innovation partner for making their factory a Smart Factory,” Avner Ben Bassat, president and CEO of Plataine, adds. “With Plataine’s solutions, Kanfit automated their production processes and witnessed increased staff efficiency with paperless production and process automation, which are imperative as the whole industry deals with supply-chain challenges. We are excited about the future joint initiatives, which are already in process.”